User blog:BattleGames1/Deadliest Warrior Battle Interlude - Space Marines vs Forerunner Warrior-Servants Re-Rematch
As a bit of a note, I will finish writing down the sim for Revy vs Niko Bellic in a couple of days but as of now, I want to get this rematch over and done with (I know I said I might do it later but I reckon I can slot it in for now). So without further ado... Space Marines, the futuristic superhuman defenders of humanity... vs Forerunner Warrior-Servants, the warrior caste borne from an ancient galactic god-like race... WHO... IS... DEADLIEST? =Let's Meet the Combatants= Space Marines The Space Marines or Adeptus Astartes are foremost amongst the defenders of humanity, the greatest of the Emperor of Mankind's warriors. They are barely human at all, but superhuman; having been made superior in all respects to a normal man by a harsh regime of genetic modification, psycho-conditioning and rigorous training. Space Marines are untouched by plague or any natural disease and can suffer wounds that would kill a lesser being several times over, and live to fight again. Clad in ancient Power Armour and wielding the most potent weapons known to Man, the Space Marines are terrifying foes and their devotion to the Emperor and the Imperium of Man is unyielding. They are the God-Emperor's Angels of Death, and they know no fear. Forerunner Warrior-Servants Warrior-Servants or Warriors were the second-lowest rate in Forerunner society. As their name suggests, they were responsible for defense and warfare in the Forerunner Ecumene. The Warrior-Servants were presumably all subordinate to the Warrior-Servant Corps. They utilized many different war machines, including War Sphinxes. A particular group of Warrior-Servants known as the Prometheans created "Warrior Keeps" known as Cryptums. They were also strong proponents of the Mantle. While Forerunner society was peaceful by nature, Warrior-Servants were ruthless in executing warfare against other races, as they believed that defying the Forerunners was to show contempt for the Mantle. For the purposes of this battle, the Warrior-Servants in this battle will be the Promethean Knights (having done research, I find that most of the weapons I list will be mostly used by them - although they can be used by other members of the Warrior-Servant caste). =Now Let's Look at the Weapons= Melee Weapons Power Fist A Power Fist (also known as a Power Glove) is essentially an over-sized, armoured gauntlet that generates an energy field around it that disrupts any solid matter it touches. It is large and slow in combat, and so the bearer must be willing to risk the blows of his enemy before he can strike back. The benefits of the Power Fist are that it increases the user's strength. Blade Arm The Promethean Knight's left arm is a melee weapon attached to a Promethean Knight. Promethean Knights can lunge at opponents to slash them with the blade and execute a powerful leap attack with it. This weapon can also throw the Promethean Pulse grenade with great accuracy. The blade is composed of red/orange Hard light. BG1's Edge After much consideration, I'm gonna have to go with the Power Fist on this one. Sure it is big and slow but using the Blade Arm on the first try might not land a successful hit and thus it gives the Marine time to charge up and use his Fist. Also, the Fist is just that bit more powerful. Short Range Weapons Bolt Pistol A Bolt Pistol is a smaller version of the Bolter in standard use by the Space Marines. A Bolt Pistol magazine carries only 6 to 10 rounds of standard Bolt rounds, each weighing about 0.08 kilograms and with a diameter of .75 calibre (19.05 millimetres). The pistol is able to fire either a single shot or a short, three-round burst. There are many varieties of pistols used by specific chapters of the Space Marines. For the purpose of this battle, the Space Marines here will carry the standard Mk III variant. Boltshot The Z-110 Directed Energy Pistol/Exotic, also known as the Boltshot, is a Forerunner particle dilator used for both its precision at mid-range and its burst functionality when up close. It is designed as a close-range precision weapon. It operates by devastating organic matter. The boltshot was first used at the end of the first century of the Foreunner-Flood war. The Boltshot has two firing modes: standard and a charged burst. BG1's Edge Even - I'm not so sure what is better: the stopping power and firing rate of the Bolt Pistol or the versatility, range and precision of the Boltshot Medium Range Weapons Boltgun Also known as the Bolter, the Boltgun is a powerful assault weapon that fires explosive kinetic rounds colloquially referred to as bolts. The weapon is fearsome, with explosive rounds capable of ripping through or blowing apart a foe. The variant of Bolter weapon used by most current Space Marine Chapters is the Astartes Mark Vb Godwyn Pattern Bolter. This variant has a built-in ammunition counter, carries 30 bolts and can fire in bursts of up to four rounds with a single trigger pull. Other features include a biometric sensor and an integral targeter. Light Rifle The Z-250 Directed Energy Engagement Weapon, more commonly known as the Light Rifle, is a Forerunner weapon carried by Promethean Knights. It appears to hold 15 rounds in a clip, with a maximum capacity of 45 rounds total. It can either fire in three-round bursts of hard light or fires a single, focused hard light round. If an enemy is killed with this weapon, they are disintegrated. BG1's Edge Again I must call it Even - the Boltgun is more technologically sophisticated (and has explosive kinetic rounds) but the Light Rifle has versatility, disintegration-capable (if that's a way to say it) rounds and range. Long Range Space Marine-Pattern Sniper Rifle A Space Marine-pattern Sniper Rifle is a high-powered and highly accurate projectile or directed energy weapon that is used to attack distant foes and lightly armoured targets at extreme ranges with unerring accuracy. Capable of firing powerful shots with lethal precision, sniper rifles can fell even the sturdiest enemy. Binary Rifle The Binary Rifle is a Forerunner sniper rifle that includes two core-mounted particle accelerators with unparalleled stopping power to bring down distant foes with one shot. The shot, when inflicted on an enemy, causes them to disintegrate. It also has two zoom modes to fulfill its purpose as a long range precision rifle. BG1's Edge Directed energy weapon vs particle accelerator. Hmmm... tricky. I have to give this one to the Binary Rifle for its sheer stopping power (one shot kill from a long distance vs unknown amount of shots from the Marine sniper rifle to fell a sturdy enemy). Special Weapons Heavy Bolter The Heavy Bolter is a version of the Boltgun of much larger size and weight which fires powerful armor-piercing fist-sized bolts at the enemy with a staggering rate of fire. It is generally used for anti-infantry or fire support roles, and it was also known as the "Back Breaker" or the "Bruiser" by the crew who have to carry it because of its great weight - but also because of the heavy punishment it can deal out to the enemy. It fires a round considerably larger than that of the standard bolter shell, with more propellant and longer range and higher stopping power, making it capable of destroying light vehicles. Because of its high rate of fire, jamming is often a problem. Like all bolt weapons, Heavy Bolters require regular maintenance and ancient litanies to appease their spirits. Incineration Cannon The Incineration Cannon is a Forerunner firearm the mixes traits of a Rocket Launcher, a Shotgun and a Flamethrower, and it can destroy all organic material within a wide radius. A highly destructive weapon, it fires four streams of explosive particles in a tight spread which release upon detonation in four different directions then detonating again individually, increasing the effective radius of the initial explosion to varying degrees. BG1's Edge The edge here definitely goes to the Incineration Cannon - both heavy weapons pack a great deal of firepower but the Heavy Bolter is heavy, unreliable and has to be manned by two people (unless someone can tell me otherwise) Explosives Frag Grenades Frag Grenades are anti-personnel small and simple in design and effect, consisting of a central explosive core with a fuse inserted, wrapped by iron or ceramic bands, and further covered by a sheathing. Upon detonation, irregular chunks of the casing and bands are propelled at high velocity into the nearby surrounding area. Often, the normal time delay fuse is removed in favor of a more sophisticated movement-sensitive detonator for use in a booby trap. They are cheap and require only a very low minimum tech base to manufacture, and are standard throughout all the forces of the Imperium. They are constructed as roughly the size of a clenched fist and covered with a notched shell to both create more shrapnel upon detonation and to also provide a secure throwing grip. Pulse Grenade The Z-040 Pulse Grenade is a field-generating attenuation device used to damage any targets which fall within its ionization radius, eventually collapsing in a violent and deadly pulse of energy. BG1's Edge The pulse grenade has that double-edge of not only being potentially able to kill someone but to also drain powered armour-suits of their energy. The frag grenade is useful in killing too but it lacks that edge that makes the pulse grenade that bit deadlier. Therefore, edge goes to the Pulse Grenade. Armour Power Armour Power Armour is a type of armour specifically by Space Marines and their co-constituents. It is a completely enclosed suit of armour, made of thick ceramite plates. The armour would be heavy and cumbersome to wear but for the electrically motivated fibre bundles within the armour that replicate the wearer's movement and enhance his/her strength. Space Marine Armour is an extraordinarily sophisticated defensive system which combines huge durability to physical damage with a sensory array and sealed environment which protects its wearer from the ravages of the void and alien atmospheres. Integrated within the armour are networks of electro-motivated fibre bundles which mimic and augment the muscular strength of the wearer. The true genius of the design, however, lies in its close integration with the already superhuman physiology, senses and reflexes of the Space Marine within. Combat Skin w/ Energy shielding Very little is known about the Forerunner Combat Skin other than that it was used by combat personnel and was comparable to, but far more advanced than, the UNSC MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor. When 343 Guilty Spark is talking to Master Chief about this, he notes that the MJOLNIR is ill-suited to combat the Flood, and recommends that he upgrade to a Class 12 Combat Skin from the MJOLNIR, which is ranked on the Forerunner classification system as a Class 2. Promethean shields are far more resilient than those of a standard sentinel. A hit to the shield doesn't cause the Prometheans whole sheild to flare like other shields observed, instead it flares where there is an impact. BG1's Edge This one is too close to call - the Space Marine Power Armour is big and bulky but enhancements make up for this setback, and the Combat Skin makes fighting and moving that bit more manoeuvrable for the Forerunners. For this reason, I call this Even. X-Factors Since I can't come up with a table for X-Factors here, I'll leave it up to you voters to come up with the numbers using these questions as a guideline: *Training - Which set of warriors undergoes the harsher but more rewarding training? *Combat Experience - Both of these warriors have been fighting powerful enemies, but which one has the better experience? *Marksmanship - Both these warriors bring weapons that can kill with precision, but which one can aim quicker and more accurately? *Strength - In their armour, which warrior delivers the deadlier hits in a close combat melee? *Brutality - Which of these warriors is the more brutal in their methods of attack? *Tactics/Teamwork - Since this will be a squad-on-squad combat, the questions becomes which of these warriors work better together as a team of warriors who operate with skill and speed? =And Now Onto the Battle= Main Battle Space Marines - Forerunner Warrior-Servants/Prometheans - 10 Promethean Knights (not including the Didact) are walking around a desert-like area on an unknown planet, looking for something. With a sandstorm raging about, thought, things become difficult to make out. Holding their weapons firmly, the Knights continue walking. Eventually they come to a stop when they see that the bodies of the Flood monsters that they were supposed to take out. The Commander of the Knights motions another to investigate how they died. Just as soon as that Knight kneels down to look at the burning holes in the Flood's disgusting clump of flesh, a bolt of energy flashed out and bumped the Knight to the ground. Lucky for it, the energy shielding absorbed the shock. All 10 looked to where the flash was seen and in silhouette behind the dust cloud stand 10 bulky monstrous figures standing firm and strong. "Clear off our planet, alien scum!" one of the silhouettes grunted. When to them it seemed evident they wouldn't listen - all the Knights did was snarl back - the leader of the Marines fired his boltgun again, this time piercing the Knight's shield, going through his combat skin and ripping its flesh apart before it could disintegrate. The Knights, seeing these figures as potential threats to their mission, return fire with their Light Rifles. The two teams then scrambled, hoping to outflank each other. As one Knight begins leaping and bounding, hoping to get to some cover, a Tactical Marine appears just behind it, preparing to close the distance. The Knight turns around and fires off a few rounds from his Light Rifle. The rounds from the Light Rifle had the same effect as the Boltgun - the first few rounds knocked the Marine to the ground. However, upon firing a few more shots, the Forerunner manages to make the Marine stay on the ground . Suddenly, the Forerunner hears incoming trudges - a Marine has heard the scuffle and is coming to intercept. But by the Marine reaches to find his colleague dead, the Forerunner has disappeared. Back at the main firefight, with the Marines trying to get clear shots at the aliens and the Knights hunkered down beneath the dead mass of flesh that was the Flood. So far, no-one gets a good hit - the shots from each of the weapons keeps bouncing off each other's armour and shields. The Sergeant mentally notes this but inventively thinks of a solution. "Hey you!" he said to the Marine next to him "Bring out the Heavy guns!". Quick as a flash, the Marine runs off into the dust clouds. The Sergeant continues to fire his Bolter at the Knights. The Marine from before enters the scene to find the firefight raging on. He looks at where the Knights are 'camping' and lobs a frag grenade at them. The knight behind the large Flood soldier notices the grenade but it is too late and is thrown up into the air and dissipates into the air - having been killed by the shrapnel piercing its armour . The Marine then unsheathes his Bolt Pistol and rejoins his team-mates ducked behind various rock formations. The lead Knight orders his to move forward and surround the Marines after noting that they were not getting anywhere standing still. The Knights stop firing for a few brief seconds. The Marines too stop firing. The atmosphere around them began to fall silent - too silent, in fact. "I've got a bad feeling about this..." a Marine nervously exclaims over the intercom. As the Marines continue looking around for their enemies, the Promethean Knight from before (unaware his team has changed strategies) emerges with his Light Rifle. He begins to fire at the nearest Marine but the Marine is quicker on the draw, firing his Bolt Pistol furiously until he is running on empty and the Knight too disappears into thin air . "What the fu-" the Marine stared in awe, unaware that a Knight has snuck up behind the group. Before the Space Marine can react, the Knight raised his arm blade and swung it down at the Marine's helmet with great force. The hit was so strong that it created a crack in the helmet big enough for the Knight to make another slash, this time sticking the blade fatally down the Marine's head . Another Knight suddenly appeared to the group and began using his arm blade too, swiftly dispatching another Marine before he can fire his bolt pistol . Another knight then jumps out from the dust to do the same thing but the Sergeant charges in, fist blazing an electric blue, and sends that Knight flying off into the distance - disintegrating as it did so . The remaining 4 then ambush the Marine Squad from all corners firing their light rifles and boltshots. From where they stood, the Marines, despite the protection, suddenly felt like they weren't going to make it, when suddenly... bang! bang! bang! and instantly, two knights disintegrated into the air , providing the Marines a hole to escape from. "What took you so long!" the Sergeant exclaimed as he ran past the Marine he sent earlier, holding a still smoking Heavy Bolter. "C'mon we gotta head back for the hills!" "Sarge, in this weather, I don't think we can-" the Marine yelled but before he could finish his sentence, his helmet was pierced with an ionic beam that slowly disintegrated him from the inside out . The Sergeant, stunned, continues running, dodging the beam from the Binary Rifle the Forerunner leader was holding. As he ran past another Marine, the Seargent stared in shock as they too disintegrated from the Binary's beam . Taking the sniper rifle out, he fired some sniper rounds into the air, hoping to scare the Forerunners off. As soon as silence fell upon the deserted plain, the Sergeant swivelled and kept on running to catch up to his mates. The 4 remaining Knights rushed over to where the Marine Sergeant was but in all this blowing wind, it was hard to make out where they are. In their language, the leader tells his associates to split up and surround the Marines where he thinks they might be resting. As the other Knights leapt into the air, the Commander readied his Incineration cannon. "Sarge..." the youngest Marine of the lot said "What were those damn things out there?" "I don't know. But whatever they are, they must be have hunting that other alien blob we saw a couple of Terra days ago..." the Sergeant solemnly noted as he looked out towards the deserted plain - hazed with the swirling howling dusted wins. "How long do we have to stay put? Our comrades back at base will be wondering what has happened!" another Marine chimed in. "Until we neutralise the enemy threat. We don't know when they will strike or from where..." the Sergeant noted as he continued his scanning. Sure his sight may have been improved a lot thanks to the augmentations but his eyes weren't perceptive enough to note that one of the Promethean Knights stood atop a rocky cliff surveying the whole scene. Through his Promethean vision, he is able to take down and cognitively memorise the positions of the Knight's foes. Once this is done, the Knight bounds away. "What was that?" a Marine down below hesitantly asks "I swear they are coming..." "Relax! The wind's picking up..." the Sergeant calmly states. Just then, the young Marine points up to the cliff face "Sarge... Look!" The Commander of the Knights stood tall and proud in his combat skin, holding his main weapon at the ready. "Ok men... OPEN FIRE!" the Sergeant shouts before the Marines fire their boltguns with whatever they have. The Sergeant himself fires off a few rounds of his Sniper Rifle. The Promethean however continued to dodge the shots - his shield sometimes flaring, sometimes it isn't. Meanwhile down below, the three other Knights slowly made their way to ambush the Marines, arm blades and boltshots at the ready. Once the Marines stop firing their guns, one of them attempts to get a better angle but before he can fire off another shot, one Knight fires his boltshot twice - the first time, the bolt damages the Power Armour but the second time, it penetrates it and kills the Marine inside . The young Marine fires his Bolter at the Knight who is just prepared to attack him and manages to disintegrate the oncoming creature . In a split second, the Knight who was just about to attack the Sergeant leapt over him and onto the young Marine, trying to get at him with his arm blade. However the Sergeant fires his Sniper rifle and with a few shots, snaps a hole in the Combat Skin and disintegrates the Knight . The lone Knight standing against 4 Marines suddenly thinks of a new plan and lets out a screech before he bounds away. The Marines stand still, confused by this, until they remember the Commander atop the cliff face. They turn back to find him about the fire the Incineration Cannon but before the Sergeant can fire his Sniper Rifle, a small beeping noise approached them. "OH SHIT! GRENADE!" the young Marine yelled but as soon as the Marines started to run, the Pulse Grenade exploded. All 4 of the Marines felt the effects of the grenade which was nothing more than a fatal EMP. Power Armour on all of them was draining fast in power. At that instant, the Commander fired his incineration cannon - rocket-like balls of orange plasma energy flew through the air down towards the troops. In a split-second, the 4 energy balls converged on the young Marine and in a scream of terror, the young Marine exploded to bits . But that wasn't all, the three remaining Marines tried to run away from the explosion but as soon as the explosion cleared, three more orange plasma rocket balls spewed out aiming for the Marines. In another flash, the two Marines too are butchered to bits . The Sergeant, being only slightly faster, falls to the ground, creating a huge crack on the helmet. In front of him approaches the Commander and the remaining Knight. Looking at their fallen champion, the Commander gave a silent order to the Knight. Next thing the Sergeant knew was that he was staring down the barrel of a boltshot before everything went black . Expert's Opinion The experts noted that while the Marines had superhuman strength and stamina thanks to the augmentations, their weapons and skills could not stack up to the Forerunners who had the better weapons, experience and marksmanship (and arguably training). Battle Notes Voting will be done through commenting and this time a full well-fleshed out vote counts as 2, not-so-good arguments counting as 1 and one-word/one-sentence not counting at all. Voting will end... whenever I say so. Battlefield hasn't been decided yet but the circumstances go as follows: Prometheans track the Flood to a distant planet (a Space Marine outpost unbeknownst to them) where they exterminate the threat. Unfortunately as they leave, the Space Marines soon catch up and the two groups engage in a 10-on-10 firefight. I also forgot to mention above that the Space Marines used here will be Tactical Marines (which in this instance is formed as a Tactical Squad; I know it may seem odd that they would have a sniper rifle but lets say that out of the Tactical Marines, one is a designated scout). Category:Blog posts